Tension device for wrapping and twisting machines



May 12, 1925. 1,537,638

R.H.JENNY 4 TENSION DEVICE FOR WRAPPING AND HJISTIlIGr MACHINES Filed June 6, 1924 Patented May 12, 1925.

UNITED STATES RUDOLPH I-I. JENNY, OF ROME, NEW YORK.

TENSION DEVICE FOR WRAPPING AND TWISTING MACHINES.

Application filed June 6,

To all 107mmit may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH H. JENNY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rome, in the county of Oneida, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tension Devices for rapping and Twisting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tension-devices for wrapping, twisting and like machines in which strand material such as threads, yarns or other filaments are delivered from a supply cop or package rotatable on the axis of a revolving flier.

A principal object of the invention is to provide an improved tension-means for controlling the delivery of the yarn or other material as it is unwound from the supply cop, and particularly to prevent fluctuation or variation in the tension under rapid rotation of the flier due to the action of centrifugal force on the parts of the tensiondevice.

A further object of the improvement is to provide means for adjusting the amount of tension applied in accordance with requirements for different types of materials, and to prevent variation in the tension under different speeds of operation.

A further object of the improvement is to simplify the mechanism of the tension-device while rendering it proof against derangement or getting out of order during long periods of use.

Further objects of the improvement are set forth in the following specification which describes a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view showing the rotating spindle and revolving'flier of a wrapping-machine employed for wrapping yarn or other strands about a wire or other core, and illustrating my improved tension-device as applied to use therewith; I

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the spindle and flier of the wrapping-machine illustrating the manner in which the tension-device controls the delivery of the yarn or other strand material from start to finish of its unwinding from the cop or package; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view in section of the compensating weight for the tension-arm showing the arrangement for fastening the arm to the weight.

In the drawings, 2 designates the rotatable 1924. Serial No. 718,269.

hollow spindle of the wrapping-machine, through which the wire or other core w to be wrapped passes, and 8 is the revolving flier for twisting the yarn or other strands about the axis of the spindle to cause it to be wrapped around the core. The spindle 2 is usually arranged vertically and journaled in a suitable bearing 4: which forms a part of, or is attached to, the main frame of the machine. Suitable gearing or other means, not herein shown, is employed for rotating the spindle at high speeds and the flier 3 is provided with a hub 5 fixedly attached to the spindle by any convenient means such as a set-screw 6 shown in Fig. 1. Rotatable on the spindle 2 above the hub 5 of the flier 3 is a flanged sleeve or carrier 7 for holding the cop or package C of yarn or other material. The sleeve 7 has a flange 8 at its lower end which abuts the end of the paper or fiber cop-tube 0 which is slipped on over the sleeve. Usually the tube 0 fits the sleeve 7 snugly and the latter is free to turn on the spindle 2. In some cases friction-means are provided for preventing a too free rotative movement of the sleeve 7 on the spindle 2, such as a felt washer or other suitable device not herein shown. The sleeve 7 is held in place on the spindle 2, with its lower flanged end abutting the upper face of the hub 5 of the flier 3, by means of a collar 10. The collar 10 is secured to the spindle 2 by a set-screw 11 or other suitable means, and the lower end of the collar may be caused to seat against the end of the sleeve with a slight pressure to resist the turning movement of the sleeve. I

The upper end of the spindle 2 is bored axially to receive a spindle-extension or nose-piece 12 which guides the wire or core w feeding through the axial bore 13 of the spindle. The nose-piece 12 as herein illustrated is of the type shown and described in my pending application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No. 695,126, filed February 25, 1924 and as it forms no part of the present invention it will not be specifically described herein. Suflice it to state that the wire or other core w leads up through a longitudinal groove 14: in the side of the nose-piece 12 and is guided along a reduced portion 15 of the nose-piece by means of a slottted flange 16.

A collar 17 fixedly secured to the nosepiece 12 above the collar 10 supports a vertical post 18 on which is hingedly mounted a Polisher-arm 19. The polisher-arm 19 is held pressing against the material wrapped around the Wire or core w by means of a suitable spring 20 coiled about the post or standard 18, these parts being more fully described in my prior application before referred to. The collar 17 also mounts a strand-guide 21 at the opposite side of the nose-piece 12, through which the strands of yarn or other wrapping-material s draw as they are twisted or wrapped around the core w.

Extending diametrically from opposite sides of the hub 5 of the flier 3 are two arms 22 and 23. The arm 22 has an upright extension or post 2 1 to the side of which is fastened a wire pigtail-guide 25 for the strands s leading off from the cop or package C. A second igtail-guide 26 is mounted on the top of the post 24 with the'strands s leading therethrough as they draw up from the guide 25to direct them to the strandguide 21 at the side of the nose-piece.

The opposite horizontal arm 23 of the flier 3 terminates in a hub 28 which is pro vided with a vertical bore 29. A vertical stud or post 30 has a portion 31 inserted in the bore 29 of the hub 28 with screw-threads at its lower end for receiving a nut 32. The post 30 is formed with an enlarged hexagonal section ornut 33 which seats against washers 3a abutting the upper face of the hub 28. When the nut 32 is screwed on to the lower end of the'post 30 it will draw the nut 33 down against the washers 3 1 to secure the post fast on the arm; while by releasing the nut 32the post may be adjusted on its axis by turning it with a wrench applied to its nut 33. Theupper portion of the post 30 is of less diameter than its main portion and serves as a mounting for the tension-arm or lever 35 which reaches outwardly therefrom to adapt it to bear against the surface of the cop or package 0.

In accordance with my present improvement the tension-lever 35 comprises a weighted hub or bearing-member 36 which 1s of substantially semi-cylindrical shape in plan view. The hub or weight 36 has a vertical bore at one end for receiving the upper end of the post 30, and a finger-nut 37 screwed on to the threaded end of the post holds it in place. The tension-arm proper preferably consists in a wire-loop or hairpin 38 having the ends of the wire seated in grooves on the rearward or flat face of the weight or hub 36. A screw 39, shown in Fig. 3, is threaded into a hole in the hub or weight 36 with the beveled sides of its head impinging against the wire ends. of the arm or hairpin 38' to secure it fast to the hub.. The hairpin 38 is curved slightly as shown in Fig. 2 to adapt it to reach out in substantially tangential contact with the Sur a e 0f the cylindrical package C.

Beneath the hub or bearing 36 is a tensionspring 40 coiled around the reduced portion of the post 30 with its ends projecting in opposite directions to adapt them to be anchored in the enlarged nut portion 33 of the post and in the hub of the tension-lever. The ends of the spring 40 may be held by inserting one of them in a suitable hole 11 in the upper end of the nut 33 on the post 30 and the other in a similar hole l2 extending through the hub 36. The spring 40 is ar ranged so that its tension will tend to turn the weight or hub 36 on the post 30 to swing the tension-arm 35 toward the axis of the supply cop or package C. It is to be particularly noted that the weighted end of the hub 36 of the tension-arm 35 extends rearwardly from the arm and outwardly from the axis of the flier. The purpose of this arrangement is to provide a compensating action of the weight to resist the effect of centrifugal force on the arm 35. The arm comprising the wire hairpin 38 is made relatively light so that the effect of centrifugal force thereon will be reduced to a minimum, but, nevertheless, when the device is operating at high speed the centrifugal action will be quite appreciable and therefore the weight on the hub of the arm is provided to prevent the arm from swinging awaytfrom the package to nullify the force of the tension-spring 40.

The methodof operation of the complete device is as follows: The spindle 2 is rotated .at high speed and the flier 3 revolves with .it about the core to leading through the axial bore of the spindle and through the slots in the nose-piece 12 at its upper end. The yarn, thread or other strands s from the cop or package C lead outwardly and upwardly through the pigtail-guides 25 and '26, and thence draw through the strandguide 21 to wrap them around the wire to. In the present drawings the apparatus is illustrated as being adapted for winding the strands about the wire to with a lefthand wrap, the flier and package being rotated 0n the axis of the spindle in the direction indicated by the arrow 02 inFig. 2.

As the yarn or other material is taken up by the wrapping operation it delivers from the copor package C by unwinding from its surface. The package C is thus caused to rotate with its carrier-sleeve 7 turning on the spindle 2 and with the tension-arm or lever 35 hearing against the periphery of the package to restrain its turning movement. The degree of pressure applied to the package through the arm 35 is regulated by changing the tension of the spring 40, this adjustment being readily accomplished by loosening the lower nut 32 on the bottom of the post 30 and turning the post through. its hexagonal hub or nut 33. After the tension of the spring 40 has once been adjusted its pressure will be maintained constant on the arm 35 at the start of the unwinding, but as the diameter of the package grows smaller with the unwinding of the yarn the pressure of the arm will be decreased as it moves towards the axis of the cop. This relief of pressure is designed to compensate for the variation in the pull on the yarn due to the decrease in diameter of the package from start to finish of the unwinding. That is to say, with the yarn pulling from the full diameter the package will turn more easily than when it is drawn off from the relatively small diameter at the finish of the unwinding so that greater pressure is required to resist the turning movement when the package is full than when it is substantially exhausted. This is a well known principle as employed in various types of unwinding devices, that is the arrangement for diminishing the frictional pressure on the surface of the cop as the latter decreases in diameter. It will be understood that this compensation for the variation in resistance on the pull of the yarn would normally ensue if the pivot point of the tension-arm were fixed and the cop or package merely rotated on its own axis. When, however, the tension-arm is employed with a flier of the present type which revolves about the axis on which the cop turns then another factor is encountered, namely the effect of centrifugal force on the tension-arm which tends to throw it out away from the axis of rotation or, in other words, to nullify the effect of the spring which acts to force it towards the axis of the package. It is to compensate for this action of centrifugal force that the present improved construction of the hub or bearing for the arm is provided, that is the centrifugal counterweight on the hub.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the action of centrifugal force on the weighted end of the hub 36 of the arm 35 will tend to swing this end of the hub outwardly away from the axis of rotation of the flier and consequently it will oppose the tendency of the arm 35 itself to fly outwardly away from the cop. I have determined by exhaustive experiment that a weight of the form herein shown will act with a high degree of accuracy to counterbalance the effect of centrifugal force on the arm itself, so that when the flier is operating at high speed the pressure of the arm will remain substantially constant if the arm is in a certain definite relation to the axis of rotation. That is to say, when the arm is acting on a cop of full diameter if its relation to the axis of rotation remained unchanged the pressure of the arm under the tension of its spring would remain constant at all speeds so that the tension or resistance to the delivery of the yarn from the package would be maintained uniform. As the size of the package decreases, however, the arm will move toward the axis of the cop and hence the tension of its spring will be gradually lessened, as before explained. This action compensates for the change in the pull of the yarn onthe cop, but, on the other hand, the gradual decrease in pressure of the tension-arm will not be affected by centrifugal force acting against the arm because, as before explained, this force is balanced by the centrifugal counterweight on the hub of the arm.

For the above reasons it will be understood that the resistance to the delivery of the yarn or other material is maintained substantially constant and uniform throughout the unwinding of the whole cop, for although the pressure of the arm on the package decreases, the resistance to rotation of the package will increase directly with the decrease in diameter of the yarn mass, as is well known to those versed in the present art. It will thus be seen that my present improvement provides for compensating or balancing the action of centrifugal force on the tension-arm whereby the pressure of the arm is controlled tomaintain a constant uniform resistance to the draft on the yarn or other material so that it is delivered to the nosepiece to be wound or wrapped about the wire or other core without variations in the tension applied thereto.

Through this improvement I secure a smoother, more uniform wrapping on the core and consequently an improved product in the machine. Moreover, my improvement provides for wrapping the yarn about the wire or other core with a smoother, more uniform lay, which not only makes for an improved product, but also results in a saving of material. The yarn or thread being laid more smoothly and uniformly, without twisting, separating or bunching the strands, effects a complete covering for the core which is proof against faults or breaks when employed as an insulating medium for electrical conductors. Furthermore. the yarn is not subjected to sharp pulls or strains which occur when the tension fluctuates and hence the material is not weakened or broken, so that the machine may be operated through longer periods without stops for piecing up. The improved machine is also capableof being used for wrapping or twisting extremely fine or weak yarns without straining or breaking the strands. It has also been demonstrated that with my improved tension-device the wrappingor twisting-machine may be operated at much higher speeds than heretofore possible with usual tension-devices and hence the rate of production of the machine is materially increased.

It is to be understood that my invention is applicable to other types of machines than that herein illustrated, for instance, on

twistingor spinning-machines and therefore the invention is not limited in this respect. It is also to be understood that various modifications may be made in the form and structure of the parts of the device without departing from the spirit 01' scope of the invention. Therefore, without limiting myself to the exact embodiment herein shown and described, I claim:

1. In a tension-drive for wrapping, twisting and like machines, the combination of a revolving flier, means for supporting a cop or package of strand material to adapt it to rotate on 'theaxis of the flier, tensionmeans pivoted on an axis parallel with the axis of the flier to adapt it to swing toward the axis of the cop, means acting on the tension-means to cause it to bear against the periphery of the cop, and a counterweight acting on the tension-means to resist the action of centrifugal force tending to swing said tension-means outwardly away from the cop.

2. In a device of the type specified,the combination of a revolving flier, means for mounting a supply cop or package to adapt it to rotate on the axis of the flier, a tensionarm pivoted on the flier to adapt it to swing toward the axis of the cop, resilient means acting. on the tension-arm to press it against the periphery of the cop, and a counterweight extending from the arm on the opposite side of its pivot to adapt it to counteract the effect of centrifugal force tending to swing the arm away from the cop.

3. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a revolving flier, means for mounting a supply cop or package to adapt it to rotate on the axis of the flier, a tensionarm pivoted on the flier to adapt it to swing toward the axis of the cop, resilient controlling-means acting on the arm to press it against the periphery of the cop, and a counterweight extending in the opposite direction from the arm to adapt it to be acted upon by centrifugal force to counteract the effect of centrifugal force on the arm itself, whereby the pressure of the arm on the cop is subject only 'to the action of its controlling-means.

4. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a revolving flier, means for mounting a supply cop or package to adapt it to rotate on the axis of the flier, a hub pivoted on an axis parallel to the axis of the flier and having a weighted extension projecting at one side of said axis, a tensionarm extending from said hub on the opposite side of its axis to adapt it to swing toward the axis of the cop, and resilient means acting on the hub to cause the tension-arm to bear against the periphery of the cop and to swing inwardly as the cop increases in nuances diameter, the weighted extension of said hub being proportioned to counteract the effect of centrifugal force on the tension-arm tending to swing the latter away from the cop.

5. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a revolving flier, means for mounting a supply cop or package to adapt it to rotate on theaxis of the flier, a post supported on the flier in opposite parallel relation to the axis thereof, a tension-arm pivoted on said post to adapt it to bear against the surface of the cop and to swing toward the axis of the latter as the diameter of the cop decreases, a spring coiled about the post and anchored thereto at one end with its opposite end engaging the arm to press it against the cop, and a counterweight extending from the arm on the opposite side of its pivot and so arranged and proportioned as to be acted upon by centrifugalforce to counteract the effect of centrifugal force on the arm itself whereby to maintain the pressure of said arm on the cop substantially constant to apply a uniform degree of tension to the material drawing off from the cop.

6. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a rotatable spindle, a flier adapted to revolve about the axis of the spindle, means for supporting a supply cop or package to adapt it to rotate on the axis of the flier, a post on the flier arranged in opposite parallelrelation with its axis of rotation, a hub pivoted on said post and provided with a weight extended at one side of its pivotal axis, a relatively light tensionarm secured to said hub and extending substantially tangential to the periphery of the cop to adapt it to bear thereagainst, and a spring surrounding the post and acting on the hub to turn the latter to swing the arm to maintain it bearing at all times against the periphery of the cop during the unwinding of the yarn therefrom.

7. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a revolving flier, of means for mounting a cop or package to adapt it to rotate on the axis of the flier, a post on the flier arranged parallel with and at a distance from theaxis thereof, a semicylindrical bearing hub having a bore at one end to adapt it to be pivoted on the post signature.

RUDOLPH H. JENNY. 

